Digital sovereignty is becoming a strategic success factor
The Lünendonk study ‘Digital Sovereignty – From Risk to Resilience’ analyses the current state of digital sovereignty in businesses and public organisations. It is based on 155 interviews with IT decision-makers in the DACH region.
A key finding is that digital sovereignty is evolving from a technical issue into a decisive factor for competitiveness, innovation and resilience.
The main drivers of this development are, above all, increasing regulatory requirements, geopolitical tensions and growing dependence on international cloud and technology providers.
Challenges: dependencies, data control and compliance
The study clearly highlights the challenges organisations currently face:
- Dependencies on individual IT and cloud providers
- a lack of transparency regarding data flows and digital supply chains
- Risks arising from extraterritorial legislation
- increasing demands on data protection and compliance
Furthermore, many organisations do not have a complete overview of their IT structures and therefore underestimate their dependencies and risks.
Materna provides support with sovereign AI solutions, cloud and IT architectures
The Lünendonk study highlights the growing importance of IT service providers who offer holistic support to businesses in achieving digital sovereignty.
This is precisely where Materna comes in: with an integrated approach comprising strategic consultancy, AI solutions, cloud transformation and the implementation of sovereign IT architectures.
The focus is on:
- Development of sovereign cloud strategies
- Implementation of sovereign AI solutions
- Implementation of multi-cloud and hybrid architectures
- Ensuring compliance and data sovereignty
- Holistic cyber resilience management
- Reducing vendor lock-in effects
In this way, Materna supports companies and public authorities in securing their digital capabilities for the long term.
Trend towards multi-cloud and sovereign operating models
Another key finding of the study is the shift in cloud usage:
Companies are increasingly turning to multi-cloud strategies and differentiated operating models, in which sensitive data is specifically hosted in sovereign or European cloud environments.
This approach makes it possible to harness the innovation potential of modern cloud technologies whilst retaining control over data, processes and regulatory requirements.
Digital sovereignty as a continuous transformation process
The Lünendonk study makes it clear: digital sovereignty is not a one-off initiative, but a continuous process and an ongoing strategic task.
Companies must continuously refine their IT strategies, create transparency and actively manage dependencies.
Materna supports this process with a holistic approach combining technology, architecture and governance – with the aim of strengthening digital resilience and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Timon Schmotz, Business Development Manager at Materna, comments in the study on the growing importance of digital sovereignty for businesses and public authorities: “Digital sovereignty is now a strategic issue of resilience and future viability, not merely a technical or political one.”
He emphasises that genuine sovereignty arises from clear control over data, operational structures and processes: “A sovereign solution is characterised by the fact that it is clearly recognisable which legal jurisdiction it is subject to, which organisation is ultimately the operator, and which technical mechanisms give the customer actual control over their data.”
In conclusion, he stresses the need for concrete measures: “Sovereignty is not demonstrated by wording, but by the consistency of technical and organisational decisions.”
Download the full study
